The September issue is the gold standard of fashion magazines, so it's quite an honor for Gigi Hadid to land W magazine's coveted cover. The mag even nicknamed the 20 year old as "the Post It Girl" for her extensive connections in the fashion and entertainment industries, which includes everyone from the Clintons to the Kardashians. But even more impressive is how Hadid has maintained a level of normalcy and confidence in a tough business that puts a lot of pressure on young women.

“My mentality has always been, If I’m not the best at something, then I might as well be the best at something else," Hadid told W. "I realized that I wasn’t going to be an Olympic volleyball player, but I knew I could model at that level.” Growing up as a model's daughter, she saw firsthand what it took to make it in the fashion industry but her mother (Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Yolanda Foster) still taught her to keep her options open to other opportunities and work hard no matter what. "She didn’t want modeling to feel like life and death to me.”

Having both high fashion and commercial appeal is a rare feat that only the best models have achieved through the years, and Hadid has done both in a short amount of time. Social media and her celebrity circle of friends (including Taylor Swift, Kendall Jenner, and current beau Joe Jonas) doesn't hurt, but it's her determination and versatility in photographs and on the runway that truly sets her apart from her peers.

Case in point: Hadid opened up to W about the time she posed nude for a Tom Ford fragrance ad. “Yes, I was nude, but nude works with fragrance!” Hadid said. “I’ve never been scared of being naked in pictures, but I wouldn’t do naked for naked’s sake." Spoken like a true pro.

Hadid also shared her secret to a fierce runway walk on W's Instagram.